Police say the man who allegedly killed Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and another man in a drunken car crash is an illegal immigrant who came back into the country after twice being deported.
Manuel Orrego-Savala, 37, "is in the United States illegally and has previously been deported on two occasions, in 2007 and again in 2009," Indiana State Police Sgt. John Perrine said.
Orrego-Savala, a citizen of Guatemala by birth, had been using the phony moniker Alex Cabrera Gonsales, added Perrine, who said criminal charges are being drawn up by the Marion County Prosecutor's Office.
Jackson, 26, and Uber driver Jeffrey Monroe were killed early on Super Bowl Sunday, after Monroe pulled off the Interstate-70 to help Jackson, who had become ill.
As both Jackson and Monroe stood outside their vehicle, a black Ford F-150 driven by Orrego-Savala, allegedly intoxicated and without a license, veered onto the emergency shoulder and slammed into the vehicle, striking both, police said.
The impact sent one victim flying into the center lane of I-70. A state trooper pulling over to investigate the crash, is reported to have struck the body.
Orrego-Savala was apprehended when he tried to flee the scene, The Washington Post reports. It was not immediately clear when Orrego-Savala re-entered the U.S. after being deported in 2009.
Rep. Todd Rokita, an Indiana Republican, said in a statement posted on Twitter:
Mothers Against Drunk Driving said in a statement said its members were "shocked and heartbroken" by the deaths.
"The loss of a professional football player and his driver on the biggest game day of the year is beyond tragic for the families and friends of both men, and our hearts are with them and the Colts team.
"Drunk driving remains the leading killer on our nation's highways and streets, yet there is no excuse for anyone to drive drunk when there are so many options for a sober, non-drinking designated driver …"
It was not immediately clear when Orrego-Savala re-entered the U.S. after being deported in 2009.
Jackson, a 6-foot-tall, 234 pound linebacker, played college football at Georgia Southern University and was later signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He then spent two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.